While Evan Bouchard's start to the 2025-26 season hasn't been perfect, he's still brought effective play. The bulk of the Oilers' defensive woes shouldn't be put on his shoulders.
There are a few guarantees in the world of hockey. One of them is the play of Evan Bouchard will get people talking.
The 2024-25 campaign saw Bouchard continue to show why he's trusted on the back end as he recorded 67 points in the regular season and 23 points in the playoffs for the Edmonton Oilers. He led all defensemen in scoring last post-season.
This off-season, Bouchard was rewarded with a four-year, $42-million deal that will keep him in Edmonton long-term.
Coming into 2025-26, on a team that's continuing to find its way after two straight trips to the Stanley Cup final, his start hasn't been flawless. He's had 26 giveaways this season while giving up 73 high-danger chances in all situations, according to naturalstattrick.com.
The frustrating start had tensions boiling over, with captain Connor McDavid and Bouchard having a tense moment at practice on Nov. 9. It's not out of the ordinary for any club that knows it has to improve to have tense conversations at practice, but it did garner some attention.
Bouchard ended up showing his resilience on Monday against the Columbus Blue Jackets, bouncing back from being benched in the first period after taking a slashing penalty. He assisted in a key McDavid goal in the comeback 5-4 overtime victory.
On Wednesday, Bouchard struck again, scoring the opening goal in a 2-1 win against the Philadelphia Flyers with assists from McDavid and Matt Savoie.
As much as errors in Bouchard's game can be put under the microscope, he is one of two defensemen on the Oilers with a Corsi-for percentage over 50 percent in all strengths, at 58.33 percent. Mattias Ekholm is at 53.34 percent. The next-closest Oilers defender is Jake Walman at 47.74 percent, but he's the only other Edmonton blueliner to record 10 or more points this season.
Bouchard's 12 points lead Oilers D-men, and despite losing 9-1 to Colorado on Nov. 8, the franchise's worst loss in 15 years, his Corsi-for percentage at 5-on-5 was 71.79 percent with an expected goals-for percentage of 64.53 percent.
While Bouchard's play can carry a high risk, there's a high reward with what he's been able to bring to the roster.
On the back end in general, Edmonton has needed more from its leaders. Darnell Nurse's start has had its own errors. In all situations, he's recorded 13 defensive zone giveaways, according to moneypuck.com. His Corsi-for percentage at 5-on-5 is 46.10. Brett Kulak, meanwhile, has a Corsi-for percentage of 44.29 at all strengths.
A season turnaround isn't only contingent on the shoulders of Bouchard. It has to be a group project.
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